UltraViolet Survivors Shame Reebok Over Rick Ross

Hundreds of Survivors of Sexual Assault Were Joined by More Than 100,000 People in Initial Campaign for Reebok to Stand Against Rape and Drop Spokesman Ross Over Rape Lyrics

Statement From UltraViolet Co-Founder Nita Chaudhary:

Women everywhere want to know: is Reebok back with Rick Ross? It certainly appears that Reebok, who received deserved praise for their decision to stand up to a culture that promotes violence against women, never really cared about women or the epidemic of sexual assault. If so, women won’t turn a blind eye to their blatant and ongoing hypocrisy.

Statement from Wagatwe Wanjuki, who spearheaded efforts to organize survivors with UltraViolet for the campaign:

“As a survivor of sexual assault, I’d like to know if Reebok is rejoining the ranks of rape apologists. We cannot afford to have corporations like Reebok peddling women’s empowerment on the one hand while giving their spokespeople a pass on sexual violence on the other.”

In the spring of 2013, tens of thousands of women joined survivors to take a stand against rape when Reebok’s spokesman Rick Ross raped about raping a woman and then claimed the lyric could not possibly refer to rape because he had not used the word. The event sparked a firestorm of opposition with countless people vowing to never purchase Reebok merchandise ever again. Nearly a year after the company bowed to pressure and vowed to join the campaign against rape culture, reports have surfaced that they are quietly renewing their relationship with Ross– a betrayal to consumers and survivors of sexual violence across America.